Health Library

Talking About Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)

If you have pelvic inflammatory disease, talking about it can be hard. But your health is at stake. If a recent sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused your PID, your partner must be tested and treated. If you have had PID for many years, you and your partner may now need to discuss problems such as infertility. In either case, start by telling your partner that you have been diagnosed with a serious health problem.

Who you should talk to

Once you’ve been diagnosed with PID, you should talk to:

Your current partner about getting tested and treated.

Any partners you’ve been with in the last 60 days, so they can get tested and not spread STDs to others.

Any new partners about your sexual histories and about safer sex. If a potential partner resists using condoms, think about whether you really want to have sex with someone who may endanger your health.

A note for teens

Talking to your parents about sex can be hard. But PID is a major health problem that you may not be able to handle on your own. You may also have trouble getting medical care without your parents’ help. If you can’t talk to your parents about PID, consider speaking to another trusted adult. This could be a close relative, family friend, clergy member, therapist, or school guidance counselor.

If you’re in a committed relationship

Infertility is the most common result of PID. In fact, many women are first diagnosed with PID when they have trouble becoming pregnant. If you now have fertility problems or other complications of PID, it’s likely that you were infected many years ago. You may never even know how the infection started. And although PID is often caused by an STD, it isn’t always. If you and your partner are in a monogamous relationship, being diagnosed with PID does not mean that one of you has been cheating. Keep these things in mind as you talk to your partner.

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